A student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is gearing up for her marriage to a cardboard cutout of Twilight star and teenager heartthrob, Robert Pattinson.Lauren Adkins will wed the cut-out version of the movie's vampire character Edward Cullen on January 26, 2013, and is currently picking out a wedding dress, she told the Las Vegas review Journal.The 24-year-old, who is actually staging the wedding as her thesis project for her master's degree, explained: 'Edward Cullen is really tied to the idea of Vegas for me. The fantasy behind it can never be achieved. It's the ultimate facade.'

Bride-to-be: Lauren Adkins will wed the cut-out version of Twilight's vampire character Edward Cullen on January 26, 2013, and is currently picking out a wedding dressMiss Adkins moved to Las Vegas three years ago, and quickly discovered there two sides to the city; reality and fantasy.Exploring the fantasies creations, and the people who indulge in them, Miss Adkins is set to figure out the eternal question: why.

The student even has an engagement ring, and is also planning a bachelorette party, a cake, and admitted there will be photographs and a wedding reception, just like there would be at any normal wedding.She explained that when she decided to pursue graduate school at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, she had already joined the widespread Twilight fandom - finishing all four books in one week.Along with millions of other women, she threw herself into the film's fan fiction.

The 24-year-old, who is actually staging the wedding as her thesis project for her master's degree, explained said that, 'The fantasy behind it can never be achieved. It's the ultimate facade'Engaged to Twilight: The student has an engagement ring, and is also planning a bachelorette party, a cake, and admits there will be a photographer and a wedding reception, just like at any normal weddingShe said: 'I've just been trying to figure out the psyche behind it.'One of Miss Adkins' friends, Jordan Reynolds, who graduated from UNLV last year, said the bride-to-be isn't just an obsessed fan 'with no life'.Mr Reynolds explained: 'She's very level-headed.

'She's sort of challenging the stereotype of the crazy, obsessed Twlight fan. She uses her art as a way to amplify her voice,' he said.Lynn Comella, a women's studies professor at UNLV, said: 'This is a really smart, fascinating project.The real deal: Along with millions of other women, Miss Adkins threw herself into the film's fan fiction, swooning after the cast, especially Robert Pattinson (right)'We live in a culture where female fandom in particular gets dismissed.'Miss Adkins said she is also exploring Disney movies, and romantic comedies, noting that they all have perfect, happy endings.'It's just so embedded in us, it's part of our language,' she said.'The whole thing is just me exploring this female experience,' she added.